CHARLOTTE – Kerry Kittles had hit the big shot in Game 3 of the Nets’ opening playoff series in Indiana. He also had chased Reggie Miller and he also, er, um, had ah . . . shot 2-of-8 in the first half yesterday?

“Kerry really was focused and even when he was 2-for-8, he still wanted to be aggressive and I told him to keep shooting it,” said Byron Scott. “I said you’ve got to keep being aggressive and you’ve got to keep shooting.”

Kittles listened. Now not only did he hit that big 3-pointer in Indiana, but he helped bury the Hornets yesterday with a 20-point, four-assist effort. And on a day when both sides shot like rigor mortis victims at the line (20-o-f-33 Nets, 21-of-33 hornets), Kittles was 6-of-6.

“I can do a better job getting myself into the game whether it’s being more aggressive looking for my shots, trying to sniff out opportunities, trying to make baskets,” said Kittles, who scored 11 in the third quarter. “I came with the mindset to get my game going and trying to be as aggressive as I can on the offensive end. [In the third quarter,] we had a good transition game going. We limited those guys to one shot.”